75% of World's Coral Reefs Currently Under Threat, New Analysis Finds

2/23/2011

Washington DC / London — A new comprehensive analysis finds
that 75 percent of the world's coral reefs are currently threatened by local and
global pressures. For the first time, the analysis includes threats from climate
change, including warming seas and rising ocean acidification. The report shows
that local pressures — such as overfishing, coastal development and pollution —
pose the most immediate and direct risks, threatening more than 60 percent of
coral reefs today.

"Reefs at Risk Revisited," the most detailed
assessment of threats to coral reefs ever undertaken, is being released by the
World Resources Institute, along with the Nature Conservancy, the WorldFish
Center, the International Coral Reef Action Network, Global Coral Reef
Monitoring Network, and the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Center, and a
network of more than 25 organizations. Launch activities are taking place in
Washington, D.C., London, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Caribbean, Australia, and
other locations around the world.

"This report serves as a wake-up call for policy-makers, business leaders,
ocean managers, and others about the urgent need for greater protection for
coral reefs," said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans
and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "As the report makes clear, local and
global threats, including climate change, are already having significant impacts
on coral reefs, putting the future of these beautiful and valuable ecosystems at
risk."

Local pressures — especially overfishing and destructive fishing — are
already causing many reefs to be degraded. Global pressures are leading to coral
bleaching from rising sea temperatures and increasing ocean acidification from
carbon dioxide pollution. According to the new analysis, if left unchecked, more
than 90 percent of reefs will be threatened by 2030 and nearly all reefs will be
at risk by 2050.

"Coral reefs are valuable resources for millions of people worldwide. Despite
the dire situation for many reefs, there is reason for hope," said Lauretta
Burke, senior associate at WRI and a lead author of the report. "Reefs are
resilient, and by reducing the local pressures we can buy time as we find global
solutions that will preserve reefs for future generations."

The report includes multiple recommendations to better protect and manage
reefs, including through marine protected areas. The analysis shows that more
than one-quarter of reefs are already encompassed in a range of parks and
reserves, more than any other marine habitat. However, only six percent of reefs
are in protected areas that are effectively managed.

"Well managed marine protected areas are one of the best tools to safeguard
reefs," said Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at the Nature Conservancy
and a lead author of the report. "At their core, reefs are about people as well
as nature: ensuring stable food supplies, promoting recovery from coral
bleaching, and acting as a magnet for tourist dollars. We need apply the
knowledge we have to shore up existing protected areas, as well as to designate
new sites where threats are highest, such as the populous hearts of the
Caribbean, Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Middle East."

Reefs offer multiple benefits to people and the economy — providing food,
sustaining livelihoods, supporting tourism, protecting coasts, and even helping
to prevent disease. According the report, more than 275 million people live in
the direct vicinity (30km/18 miles) of coral reefs. In more than 100 countries
and territories, coral reefs protect 150,000 km (over 93,000 miles) of
shorelines, helping defend coastal people and infrastructure against storms and
erosion.

For the first time, the report identifies the 27 nations most socially and
economically vulnerable to coral reef degradation and loss. Among these, the
nine most vulnerable countries are: Haiti, Grenada, Philippines, Comoros,
Vanuatu, Tanzania, Kiribati, Fiji, and Indonesia.

"The people most at risk are those who depend heavily on threatened reefs,
and who have limited capacity to adapt to the loss of the valuable resources and
services reefs provide," said Allison Perry, project scientist at the WorldFish
Center and a lead author. "For highly vulnerable nations — including many island
nations — there is a pressing need for development efforts to reduce dependence
on reefs and build adaptive capacity, in addition to protecting reefs from
threats."

The report is an update of "Reefs at Risk," released by WRI in 1998, which
served as an important resource for policymakers to understand and address the
threats of reefs. The new report uses the latest data and satellite information
to map coral reefs — including a reef map with a resolution 64 times higher than
the original report.

"Through new technology and improved data, this study provides valuable tools
and information for decision makers from national leaders to local marine
managers," said Katie Reytar, research associate at WRI and a lead author. "In
order to maximize the benefits of these tools, we need policymakers to commit to
greater action to address the growing threats to coral reefs."

Elizabeth Selig, Conservation Scientist at Conservation
International, who co-authored "Reefs at Risk Southeast Asia (2002)" and
contributed to "Reefs at Risk Revisited" (2011), said: "It is troubling
to me to see how drastically impacts on these extremely valuable resources have
increased in the last 10 years. This latest report is an urgent warning that we
can lose many of the world's coral reefs within our lifetimes, and highlights
the critical linkage between healthy ecosystems and human well-being. We
strongly encourage local and global policy makers to take these factors into
consideration and take action now to preserve coral reefs."

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global
environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We
work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent
environmental challenges. www.wri.org

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation
organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands
and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million
members have protected more than 480,000 sq km of land and engage in more
than100 marine conservation projects. The Conservancy is actively working on
coral reef conservation in 24 countries, including the Caribbean and the Coral
Triangle. www.nature.org

WorldFish Center is an international, nonprofit,
nongovernmental organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger by
improving fisheries and aquaculture. Working in partnership with a wide range of
agencies and research institutions, WorldFish carries out research to improve
small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. Its work on coral reefs includes
ReefBase, the global information system on coral reefs. www.worldfishcenter.org

International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) is a global
network of coral reef science and conservation organizations working together
and with local stakeholders to improve the management of coral reef ecosystems.
ICRAN facilitates the exchange and replication of good practices in coral reef
management throughout the world's major coral reef regions. www.icran.org

United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring
Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is an internationally recognized center for the
synthesis, analysis, and dissemination of global biodiversity knowledge.
UNEP-WCMC provides authoritative, strategic, and timely information on critical
marine and coastal habitats for conventions, countries, organizations, and
companies to use in the development and implementation of their policies and
decisions. www.unep-wcmc.org

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) is an
operational unit of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) charged with
coordinating research and monitoring of coral reefs. The network, with many
partners, reports on ecological and socioeconomic monitoring and produces Status
of Coral Reefs of the World reports covering more than 80 countries and states.
www.gcrmn.org

Conservation International (CI) -- Building upon a strong
foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers
societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature for the well-being of
humanity. With headquarters in Washington, DC, CI works in more than 40
countries on four continents. For more information, visit www.conservation.org